Vyapaar

In this episode, I invited Shubham Singh – founder of Craste, a company creating value added products like packing materials, panel boards and paper from agricultural residue with the vision to create wealth from waste.

India generates more than 500 MILLION tonnes of agricultural residue every year. We are all aware of the incredible amount of pollution caused by stubble burning

Shubham saw this problem as an opportunity. With an abundance of agricultural residue – you could build systems to derive value added products from them. After 5 years of intensive R&D and a lot of patents filed, Craste is absolutely crushing it in this sector.

Value added products from agricultural residue, at scale, across various rural areas in India – could transform the country. And we should do whatever we can to support them!

I learnt a lot from Shubham in this podcast and we spoke about a range of topics like:

(00:00): Introduction

(02:15): How did Shubham first get a taste of entrepreneurship + building Gramiksha

(06:40): Moving back to academics <> Imperial College of London – researching about carbon capture.

(10:48): Meeting the QUEEN OF ENGLAND.

(14:17): Getting into a entrepreneurship fellowship called ‘Waste to Value’.

(18:35): The problem of agricultural residue + creating products from this waste.

(23:00): THE JOURNEY FROM IDEA > R&D > EXECUTION.

(31:57): Making money from waste > entering the commercializing phase.

(34:25): THE PROCESS: converting agricultural residue into value added products.

(38:37): How is competition in this space? Can Craste compete with plastic packaging companies?

(43:00): How do you apply to Government fellowship programs?

(46:20): How does the future of Craste look like?

(49:00): RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS

You can reach out to Shubham at [email protected] to get your hands on the 100+ business ideas that he has!

You can learn about government fellowships at Venture Center's website here

You can learn about what Craste is building here

In this episode, I invited Bhuman Dani – founder of WickedGud, a company promoting guilt free eating with the mission of un-junking one kitchen at a time.

Did you know that the noodles you eat are already deep fried? The pasta that you eat has a lot of refined flour? If you’re consuming these packaged foods on a daily basis, it’s not healthy – especially if it is being consumed by kids.

How do you solve this problem? You eliminate the deep fry process. You eliminate the refined flour. At the same time, try to keep the taste and texture. That’s exactly what WickedGud is trying to build.

With health icons like Shilpa Shetty representing the brand and with grabbing eye balls on Shark Tank, WickedGud has positioned itself perfectly to conquer the future of food.

I had a blast talking to Bhuman and we spoke about a range of topics like:

(00:00): Introduction

(01:11): How did Bhuman start his entrepreneurial journey? Was it in his blood?

(04:48): Is there a secret to crack BCG interviews?

(05:55): What tilted Bhuman to exit his first venture and start another venture towards guilt free eating?

(12:28): ELEVATOR PITCH

(15:57): How were the early days of WickedGud? Why did Bhuman start with Pasta? What were the methodologies adopted to go from idea to launch?

(21:46): NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES + using different technologies to drastically reduce saturated fats.

(33:08): Talking about traction, distribution strategies, geographies that are working for the brand and customer feedback.

(42:29): How was the experience of working with Shilpa Shetty to represent WickedGud?

(45:11): THE SHARK TANK EXPERIENCE

(49:17): What is the long term vision for WickedGud? Any new product launches in the pipeline?

(50:44): RAPID FIRE Qs

In this episode, I invited Bhagyashree Bhansali – founder of The Disposal Company, an organization that is helping brands to achieve plastic + carbon neutrality.

In this episode, I invited Preksha Chopra - founder of Welme, a health and wellness company which has created a period pain relief device.

Welme, uses TENS technology to reduce period pain in women. It's clinically tested. Has no side effects. It's portable. It's sleek. You can wear it even while you work. Or while you party. No anti-biotics required.

I learnt a TON in this episode about period pain and asked a LOT of questions (some stupid ones too :P) and Preksha was kind enough to answer all of them which such calmness. She knows her stuff! We covered a range of topics like:

(00:00): Introduction

(01:30): What is Preksha building with Welme and talking about the science behind the tech

(04:20): The foundational events that led to the IDEA for Welme

(10:51): How does the Product work?

(13:08): How challenging was it to convince people to use a tech instrument to treat period pain? How was the initial response to Welme?

(17:15): Business in the blood?

(18:38): Talking about the MOAT and how Welme can stay one step ahead of the competition

(19:50): Why is talking about Periods still considered a Taboo?

(22:18): HYPOTHETHICAL Q: What would Preksha do if a big shot Pharma company approached her to buy Welme?

(25:35): What are the new products in the pipeline?

(27:10): Key learnings while building a business in the wellness space in India

(31:38): Talking about manufacturing, customer traction, marketing, product design and

(40:52): THE FUTURE OF WELME

(42:44): Some FAQs around period pain

(50:35): What’s the story behind the Logo and the name?

(53:00): LUCK VS HARDWORK

If you go through severe period pain, why not try out Welme? You can check out their website for exciting new stuff in this space!

I enjoyed the conversation with Sharan so much that we created content equal to two episode. This is the second part where we spoke about the following:

(00:13): What does it take to build a company in India? Talking about challenges + key learnings

(06:04): How to get your product placed in supermarkets and offline distribution channels?

(08:49): How does the FMCG business work?

(11:58): BOOTSTRAPPING VS FUNDRAISING

(20:07): How do you compete with a player who is funded when you’re bootstrapped?

(24:15): How is it like having a sibling as a Co-Founder? How do the dynamics play out while running the business?

(28:12): Creating a logo to create engagement + capture attention

(31:52): Story behind the name ‘Sober & Co’

(34:53): Success Factor: LUCK VS HARDWORK

In this episode, I invited Sharan Kripalani - founder of Sober & Co, a ready to drink premium handcrafted lifestyle beverage company.

They use exotic ingredients to curate innovative flavors, and looking at their aesthetic bottles will make you want to partyyyy! Staying sober, would be a challenge ;)

I had a lot of fun talking to Sharan about how things work in the FMCG beverage market and learnt a ton of stuff in this conversation. We covered a range of topics like:

(00:00): Introduction

(04:16): Sober & Co – a brief insight into this exciting beverage brand

(08:15): The FMCG beverage market – is it ripe for disruption?

(11:21): How did Sharan’s entrepreneurial journey start?

(14:30): Talking about the initial days @ Sober & Co

(17:27): TIMELINE – converting an idea into a product on the shelf

(25:26): THE ELEVATOR PITCH FOR SOBER & CO

(28:50): Sugar, sugar, sugar – why it is important to create a zero sugar beverage brand

(33:31): Talking about customer traction and product adoption

(36:31): WHAT’S THE BEST SELLING FLAVOR?

(40:12): What is the best performing geographical location in India for their beverages? [I thought it was going to be Delhi!]

(44:04): Who is the typical customer and which distribution channel is working really well?

(47:01): THE PIPELINE – new flavor launches and exploring new geographies

What are you waiting for? Order your first bottle from Sober & Co's website. You can also find them on Amazon or Bigbasket.

In this episode, I invited Harshit Puram - founder of Oknomodhomes, a company in the business of making portable sustainable homes and delivering it across India in just 90 DAYS!

Real estate construction takes a lot of time [and money]. You need to reach out to the builders, plumbers, electricians, designers & a whole lot of other people. It's like a side job.

Oknomodhomes takes care of this entire process and makes it extremely hassle free. Plus, they build houses from sustainable building materials. Their houses are more durable. Have a positive carbon footprint. Look more aesthetic. Cost you similar to what it would cost you to make a normal concrete house. The houses are portable. And the entire house is built and assembled at lightning speed.

This is how the future of construction looks like! I had a blast talking to Harshit about the various things they're doing with Oknomodhomes and we spoke about a range of topics like:

(00:00): Introduction

(02:25): A brief glimpse into Oknomodhomes  

(04:00): How are they building & shipping homes in 90 DAYS?!

(06:28): Life before Oknomodhomes: what set the foundational idea for Harshit & Parikshit to start a company in the real estate biz?

(11:39): TIMELINE: Idea generation – First Prototype – Go Live

(15:07): BRASS TACKS: Talking about traction, target audience, pricing comparisons & growth of the business

(22:29): WHY ARE WE STILL BUILDING HOUSES WITH CEMENT?

(26:39): MOAT: What makes houses built by Okno more superior compared to normal houses?

(36:44): COMPETITION: Are there any new players in the sustainable portable real estate market?

(40:32): How does the whole process of buying a house from Okno look like for a consumer?

(42:45): How BIG is this market opportunity?

(50:24): What is the story behind the name?

Check out what Harshit & Parikshit are building with Oknomodhomes and take a look at their aesthetically built homes

In this episode, I invited Anish Malpani - Founder of Ashaya, a non profit organization that functions with a simple vision : 'To recycle the worst kind of plastic waste while empowering waste pickers'.

Multi-layered plastics (also known as MLP) is one of the hardest plastics to recycle. It continues to overburden our landfills. Destroys marine life when discarded in the oceans. Recycling MLP is tough, so much so that no one wants to invest their time & money to do it.

Anish - saw that as an opportunity. An opportunity to solve a really difficult problem. Ashaya set up a lab in Pune and through a LOT (really a lot!) of research and continuous testing + iterations, they've developed the technology to recycle MLP.

I had an amazing time talking to Anish about his journey & about the impact Ashaya is creating, all the while going through an introspection myself.

We spoke about a range of topics on this episode like:

(00:00): Making sunglasses from a packet of chips – LIKE WHAAAT?

(02:21): Why are other people NOT recycling multi-layered plastics (MLP)? What’s the hold up?

(04:28): Why would you pay a premium to buy MLP when you can get it for free? Anish convinces the Finance geek within me as to why!

(08:56): MAJOR TURNAROUND: Transition from a guy climbing the corporate ladder <> a guy focused on creating maximum impact.

(23:47): Zeroing in on the niche to get into in the impact space.

(35:20): When did the action begin? How do you FUNDAMENTALLY increase the value of waste?

(44:56): BUILDING THE TECH: To recycle something that is impossible to recycle.

(51:10): Other value-added products in the pipeline from recycled MLP.

(53:56): Did Anish ever feel like calling it quits & throwing in the towel?

(59:00): WASTE PICKERS: Lives that Ashaya is touching [and substantially changing]

(1:11:53): Is the GoI providing any subsidies for developments in the waste management space?

(1:15:38): EXPANSION PLANS: How does the long-term game look like for Ashaya?

(1:20:02): The story behind the name & introducing a D2C brand called ‘Without’

Have you tried their sunglasses that are made out from a packet of chips? If not - grab them here

In this episode, I invited Vivek Gulati - CoFounder of GRIP, a company which is on a mission to open up the alternative asset class to the retail investor.

When you think about investment opportunities for retail investors - you think Stocks, Bonds, Gold, ETFs & Mutual Funds, PPF and so on. However, the risk appetite of the retail investor is increasing. They want access to more opportunities. Broader asset classes. And that's where GRIP comes in.

GRIP wants to bring opportunities that were previously reserved for HNIs, FIIs & Private institutions to the retail public. Opportunities to invest in assets like Asset Leasing, Inventory Financing, Commercial Real Estate & Startup Equity.

We spoke about a range of topics on this episode like:

(02:38): Talking about Vivek Gulati & his experiences before starting GRIP

(10:50): The Blueprint of GRIP – how the ball started to roll and how the concrete idea to venture into alternative assets was planted

(16:54): ELEVATOR PITCH FOR GRIP

(20:15): The Idea - opening up the asset class to retail investors

(21:40): How can you invest in Alternative Assets through GRIP? What are the different product offerings listed currently?

(33:25): Is the competition heating up in the alternative assets market? And what is GRIP doing to stay ahead of the curve

(38:11): How does GRIP enter into partnerships with different companies and bring those opportunities on the platform?

(45:30): What are the challenges that GRIP faces to grow the biz

(49:48): Industry regulations: how is the attitude of regulators towards new financial products?

(54:58): What is the story behind the name GRIP – was it supposed to be a tyre company initially :P 

(58:32): The dynamic between the co-founders & how they [smoothly] deal with conflict

Start your journey into alternative assets today with GRIP

In this episode, I invited Abhijeet Anand - Founder of abCoffee, a brand which is on a mission to bring specialty coffee to every Indian at affordable rates.

Specialty premium coffee is not yet mainstream in India. The Indian middle class doesn't consume freshly brewed coffee on a daily basis. The prime reason? It is extremely costly. Abhijeet understood that, when he went on a trail across India to taste coffee brewed in different parts of the country. And that's how the idea of abCoffee was born.

With abCoffee, Abhijeet wants to democratize specialty coffee. He wants to brew premium coffee that caters to the Indian palate. abCoffee is unique in the sense that it's not a café or a restaurant but a 'deck' where you can come in, grab your coffee, meet new people & be on your way.

As for Abhijeet, I think he is the perfect representation of the brand. Young. Energetic. Passionate. Agile. Talking to him was an absolute pleasure & after recording this episode I had the chance to meet him in person & I got my hands on their Classic Cold Coffee, which was absolutely amazing!

We spoke about a range of topics on this episode like:

(02:53) – The mysterious man & his journey: Abhijeet Anand

(04:44) – What were the events that led Abhijeet to start his own venture?

(07:49) – Planning 15 years into the future & working backwards – what is AA’s modus operandi?

(11:50) – When were the seeds to start a specialty coffee chain sown in AA’s mind?

(22:28) – A trail across the heart of India to validate the idea for abCoffee

(28:45) – Harnessing technology to engineer a cup of coffee + introducing a culture of ‘Grab & Go’

(36:48) – What is a Coffee deck?

(41:25) – Execution, Execution, Execution

(46:13) – What are the BLOCKERS to Growth?

(49:17) – Coffee myths & fun facts

(55:29) – abCoffee: The story behind the name   

If you're based out in Mumbai I would really recommend checking out their Coffee decks @ Versova & Powai!